Matt Kemp's Hometown Hit With a Twister

Matt Kemp's hometown in Oklahoma got hit hard with a tornado this afternoon.  If you've been watching the news then it's likely you've seen the reports.  The town of Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, was devastated after experiencing a large twister that has already taken the lives of 51 people.  Hopefully that number stays there.

Kemp was born in Midwest City, Oklahoma which lies adjacent to Moore.  This is the second large tornado to hit this area in as many years.  Back in 1999 a large EF5 tornado hit the area.

After this evenings game, Matt Kemp went onto twitter to lend his support.  He promises to donate some funds to the current relief effort.  See his tweet below.

(twitter link)

UPDATE:  Ken Gurnick at MLB.com follow up this story:

He said he was in junior high school when an E-5 tornado with 300-mph winds hit the same area in 1999 and killed 36 people. He remembered accompanying a cousin who was hit by a foul ball in a baseball game to the local hospital and not knowing the tornado hit until the mangled patients started to arrive.

He vividly described the carnage he saw 14 years ago.

"And this one hit a school," he said. "I know where the schools are. My mom lived in a house in Moore and we gave it to my aunt and uncle. They weren't home today, but they said two blocks away there's nothing left. I've never been through an earthquake, but I've seen what a tornado can do and you just can't even believe it."

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The Culver City Card Show: Now That's What I'm Talkin' About

As many of you know, there was a card show in Culver City this past Saturday.  Admission was free and it promised to be filled with plenty of vintage collectibles.  Thankfully, it absolutely delivered.  On top of that, I was finally able to meet some blogging cohorts who like to collect the Blue Crew.

Unfortunately, I failed to take any pictures, but have no fear folks.  Several of the other bloggers delivered on that.  First, I wanted to write that it was a pleasure to meet Greg from Plaschke, Thy Sweater is Argyle, Spiegel from Nomo's Sushi Platter, Jesse from LA Inspiration, and StealingHome from All Trade Bait, All The Time.  I hope we get a chance to hang out again.

As for some photos, check out StealingHome's post at All Trade Bait, All The Time.  He's got a bunch to look through and even got a group photo of us.  I'm the fellow with the Blue Hawaiian shirt on the left.  As you can see, there were about 50 tables there, and from what I hear business was brisk.  Spiegel at Nomo's Sushi Platter also has a rundown on that afternoon.  Also, the always great Net54 message board also talk about the show here.

As for what I decided to take home... Well, I think I did good.  No... I was ecstatic!

First off, the very first thing that caught my attention was a little booklet that featured Dodger Hall of Famer Don Sutton on the cover.  See it below.  I had seen this kind of collectible before, but knew nothing about it.  It was created in 1977 and was published by Follett Publishing Company.  Within its pages are a group of photos that can be flipped to make a movie.  As soon as I have the time, I'll video tape it for you all to see. 

My very next purchase was for a couple of 1960 Nu-Card Baseball "Scoops" Hi-Lites of Johnny Podres and Gil Hodges.  These cards are about the size of a postcard.

I'm really happy about the next card.  It is a 1943 M.P. & Co. strip card (designated as R302-1) of Pee Wee Reese.  You don't really see these very often.  On top of that, they may be the ugliest Baseball cards ever made.  And in my mind, they are so ugly, they are good.  Ya know what I mean?

I also picked up my very first 1958 Hires Root Beer card of a Dodger.  It is of Clem Labine, and even includes the advertising tab.  Unfortunately, it had been detached, but still looks cool.

And now for my big catch of the afternoon.

Usually when I go to a show, I'll cruise around the tables a couple of times before making any purchases.  Call it getting the lay of the land.  From time to time, I'll make a purchase on that first go around, but only if I fear it might not be there when I come around again.

Anyway, I saw a small stack of 1952 Parkhurst cards graded by PSA in a case that showed Tommy Lasorda on top.  I stopped and stared at it for what felt like ages.  The dealer was chatting it up with another collector and I decided I needed to think about this before making any moves.  So, I decided to leave and stroll around a bit more.  I hadn't planned on any big purchases this past weekend, and I knew if I asked to see the Lasorda I would not be able to stop myself.

A second time around, I again stopped at the Parkhurst cards and stared.  I had internal debates with myself.  How bad do I really want this card?  Do I want to go over budget?

I knew myself well enough to know that if I asked to see it I would be compelled to make an offer.  So, I walked away again.

Then, I ran into the other Dodger bloggers at the show.  We chatted for quite some time, but in the back of my mind all I could think of was the Lasorda.

Ya see, for those who don't know, the 1952 Parkhurst Lasorda card is considered by many to be his true rookie card.  It is a Canadian issue made for the Dodgers farm team, the Montreal Royals.  It also happens to have the very first card ever printed of future Hall of Famer Walter Alston.

So, I'm chatting it up with the boys.  Then, a brief lull happens in the conversation and I decide I needed to excuse myself.  The call of the Lasorda was too strong.  I strolled on over, and suddenly found myself standing next to the dealer.

He ask if there was anything I wanted to see, and I sheepishly said, "yeah, the Lasorda Parkhurst."  Then, under my breadth, I asked, "you wouldn't happen to have a Walter Alston under there, would ya?"

The dealer, with a big grin, says, "ya mean, Walt Alston?  This guy?"

As low and behold, right underneath the Lasorda card is the Walt Alston Parkhurst card, as well.

Be still, my beating heart!  I've always wanted these two beauties, and all of the sudden here they are.  Both of them.  In my hands!  And based on the asking prices, I knew a potential affordable deal could be had.  So, after a brief talk we made a deal and I walked home with them.  See the cards below.

As you can see, the Lasorda isn't in the best of shape, and arguably has been over-graded by PSA.  There's a crease along the middle.  The Alston, on the other hand, is just fine.

Here is the reverse of the card.  Check out the advertising for a toy cap gun.  How very un-PC!

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Should He Stay Or Should He Go

This isn't my best effort, but it's all I could muster.  The Dodgers situation has me all a fluster.  We lost another series this past weekend.  Does this mean we are should be weary for the season?

Below are my reworked lyrics focused on the current situation regarding Don Mattingly.  Sung along with the classic British punk song by the Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go".  BTW, I removed the Spanish language backing vocals because (quite frankly) my Spanish sucks.

Darling you gotta let me know
Should Donnie stay or should he go?
If you say that he stays Blue
I'll still be rootin' for the crew
Still that leash is shorter, ya know
Should Donnie stay or should he go?

Dodgers tease tease tease
Free agents signed to record fees
One day play well, but mostly bad
The losing streak has me so mad
Well come on and let us know
Should Donnie stay or should he go?

Should Donnie stay or should he go now?
Should Donnie stay or should he go now?
If he goes it's signs of trouble
An if he stays we'll see a rumble
So come on and let us know

Your decisions do bug me
The bullpen sucks, what could it be?
Have you mismanaged our 'pen arms?
Or has bad luck kicked you to your knees?
Come on and let us know
Do you know what you should do?

Should Donnie stay or should he go now?
If he goes it's signs of trouble
An if he stays we'll see a rumble
So you gotta let us know
Should Donnie stay or should he go?

Play the video below and sing along!

Video Link:

Pic credit above: Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2013

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Blog Kiosk: 5/20/2013

Check out Hyun-Jin Ryu hanging out with some kids on Asian Heritage Day in Atlanta this past weekend.  Pic via twitter @Dodgers.

• YOU ALL MUST READ THIS.  Jon Weisman at Dodger Thoughts rationally writes about the current state of the Dodgers.  Thank goodness he is still plugging away.

And the season might be over, except for this. For all their problems, Los Angeles is still somehow only seven games out of first place. The Giants, in case you haven’t noticed, have their own cauldron of concerns. And Arizona and Colorado … I just don’t know. I can’t see them not hitting their own skid. I can’t see it.

• Via Bill Shaikin at the LA Times, "Clayton Kershaw is a Dodgers star now but it almost didn't happen."
• Ben Lindbergh at Grantland interviews former Dodger Russell Martin on the art of pitch framing.
• Via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com, "Mattingly asks Gordon to harness aggressiveness."

"I talked to Dee, and he said as soon as he peeled off, he felt he was in Carl's way," said Mattingly. "He knows he went too far. He was in no-man's land. It was kind of borderline. You want him to be aggressive, but you don't want bloopers dropping. It's a fine line. You want him to learn from it. You don't want to see it again. Part of it is knowing Carl plays shallow."

• Dayn Perry at CBS Sports writes, "Pondering Ned Colletti's worst decision."

And therein lies the point of this departute. Of all the dubious moves Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has concocted, of all the ill-advised salary commitments he's taken on, his signing of League may be the worst of them all.

• Sports Collectors Daily has a rundown on the final auction sale prices from REA.  A Babe Ruth Baltimore News rookie card sold for $450,300 in PSA 1 (poor) condition, and the Sandy Koufax 1963 game-worn jersey sold for $201,450.  Wow!
• Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports writes that Don Mattingly's days as the Dodgers coach may soon be coming to an end.
• Bill Shaikin at the LA Times reports this morning that the Dodgers have no plans to fire Don Mattingly, via a club spokesman.
• All I can say is wow!  Here is a short movie called "Cargo" that was a 2013 finalist at Tropfest.

Video Link:

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Recent Brooklyn Dodgers eBay Buys

I thought I'd take this lazy Sunday afternoon to share a couple of recent eBay purchases in hopes of brightening your day.  After all, after once again witnessing the Dodgers lose in spectacular fashion I figured some vintage Dodgers might perk you up... Well, at least, it gave me a smile.

I recently came across a 3-card lot of 1922 Exhibits of Harry "Hi" Myers, Sherrod "Sherry" Smith and Walter "Dutch" Reuther for a steal of a price of $10.00 total.  These cards are about the size of a postcard.  As you can see, they are far from being in mint condition, but who cares?  They are over 90 years old and are just plain awesome.

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Hi Myers was a star outfielder during 11 seasons with the Brooklyn Robins.  In 1922 he hit a robust .317 with 89 RBI's and 82 runs scored.  Myers was known to be an effective top of the order batter and had the speed to match.  He was also a great negotiator. 

After the 1916 season he sent a letter to Charles Ebbets (the Brooklyn owner) indicating that he would no longer be playing Baseball.  He claimed that his farm back home was doing quite well (it was just modest), and he could not in good conscious play ball when he could provide better for his family tending to the family business.

Seeing that Ebbets had several holdouts that offseason, he decided to visit each one in hopes of convincing them to sign a contract.  Knowing of Ebbets impending arrival, Myers visited his wealthier neighbors to ask to borrow their livestock and proceeded to plant them on his farm.  Seeing that Myers story about having a well-off farm were true, Ebbets decided he had to give in to his financial demands and quickly made a deal. 

Sherry Smith was one of the better starting pitchers for the Brooklyn Robins.  He pitched in 7 seasons for Brooklyn; recording a accumulative ERA of 2.91 and a WAR of 11.5.  His one claim to Baseball fame was his work in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series.  The Brooklyn Robins faced off against the Boston Red Sox, and Smith was set to start against a young lefthander named Babe Ruth.  Via Baseball Alamac:

Through thirteen innings, both had allowed only six hits and one run each. In the bottom of the fourteenth, Dick Hoblitzell set the stage for a dramatic finish by drawing his fourth walk of the game. Duffy Lewis followed suite by sacrificing Hoblitzell into scoring position at second. With all his pieces in place, Red Sox manager Bill Carrigan prepared to checkmate his opponent by sending in Mike McNally as a pinch-runner and Del Gainor as a pinch-hitter. Gainor stepped up and delivered, driving in Hoblitzell and sealing Boston's 2-1 victory.

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Below is a second purchase I recently made on eBay.  It is a 1914 Baseball felt "Blanket" that was distributed in packs of Egyptienne Straights Cigarettes.  They measure a little over 5" square.  The player here is Brooklyn Robin, Jake Daubert.

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Sunday Dodgers Videos: SF Cops Undercover, the Galaxy and Some Dodger Interviews in the Clubhouse

Here are this Sunday's Dodgers Videos.

Here's an interesting report on how the SF police are going undercover as Dodger fans at games.

Video Link:

Here's a video of Galaxy Night at Dodger Stadium.  Galaxy players toured Dodger stadium, met members of the Dodgers, threw the first pitch and enjoyed a great game at LA Galaxy Night at Dodger Stadium! Greg Cochrane and Todd Dunivant almost duked it out to decide who was going to get to throw first pitch and Charlie Rugg tried to sneak his way into Dodgers batting practice, but otherwise just a quiet evening for the boys!

Video Link:

Gary G at IVNews speaks with Carl Crawford in the clubhouse after this past Tuesday's game against the Nationals.

Video Link:


Gary G also spoke with Matt Kemp in the clubhouse.

Video Link:


And here is a short video of Clayton Kershaw speaking with the media, via Gary G.

Video Link:

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Blog Kiosk: 5/18/2013

I ran into this great vintage photo of the 1912 Brooklyn Dodgers as they take a team photo during Spring Training.  Check out a whole album of other great Baseball vintage pics here.

• "Don Mattingly isn’t going to use Kenley Jansen in the closer role, but it’s probably for the best," via Chad Moriyama.

Basically, Mattingly’s plan is to use Kenley as an ace reliever of old, a move which is only bolstered by the fact that Kenley has a history of being able to go multiple innings. Another reason it works is because the Dodger bullpen has been hit by injuries and ineffectiveness like the rest of the team, so despite League’s struggles, he’s still projected to get late-inning outs even if he’s removed as closer. And since blowing a lead in the eighth sucks just as much as in the ninth (or more since the closer doesn’t even get used then), simply stripping League of the overhyped title accomplishes little to solve the root problem.

• Via Steve Dilbeck at the LA Times, "Dodgers' scouts deserve credit as Hyun-Jin Ryu pays dividends."

“He knows how to pitch to win, which is so refreshing,” said catcher A.J. Ellis. “He’s not just out there throwing to throw. He dials it up when he has to. He adds and subtracts to all his pitches.

“He’s a sneaky, really good athlete. He has amazing feel. He can field his position, hold runners, handle the bat. He’s a guy who just knows how to win baseball games.”

• "The Rise and Fall of Luis Cruz," via Stacie Wheeler at Lasorda's Lair.
• Via Aaron at Inside Dodger Baseball writes, "Van Slyke's big night goes to waste."
• "Van Slyke's emergence creates questions for Cruz," via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.

Luis Cruz and Scott Van Slyke were in the Dodgers' lineup Friday night, but their careers are suddenly headed in opposite directions.

• Joc Pederson may be the first callup from the minors, not Yasiel Puig, via Ken Gurnick at MLB.com.

"He just does everything better than everybody else," said Corrales. "He makes adjustments at bat and in the field. He's an outstanding center fielder. He has a knack for seeing the ball off the bat: He lowers his head and he's off to get the ball. He's hitting home runs, he's hitting with men on base. There's nothing he isn't doing."

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I'm Still Feeling that Kings Magic - And I wonder How it can Apply to the Dodgers

It's been over 12 hours since the Kings stole a victory away from the outstretched arms of the Sharks.  The Kings were down by one goal with less than a couple of minutes to play before drawing a couple of penalties and scoring two goals in dramatic fashion.  It was exciting and awe inspiring.  Better yet, it puts the Kings up two games to none in the seven game series.

A Sharks team that had confidently scored three unanswered goals to take a lead turned from becoming confident masters of their own domain to floundering denizens of the deep.  It was wonderful to witness and this fan still feels the adrenaline rush.

In fact, the first thing I did this morning was watch all the highlight videos.  (Sorry boss, but I couldn't help myself)  If you want to do the same thing go to the KingsVision channel on youtube, here.

The Kings rise to prominence over the past couple of years has been unbelievable.  As a hardcore fan all you can do is cross your fingers and hope that the folks in charge of steering the club know what they are doing.

How do you build a team that can last and flourish?  Do they have a plan in place?  Can they execute it? 

These are the type of questions all fans, no matter the sport, wonder and hope get answered. 

As a long-suffering Kings fan, I witnessed firsthand how this franchise failed on all accounts.  We were laughing stocks and I remember going to games when we all knew it. 

Then, a change happened.  A new focus was instituted after an honest assessment was made.  Heck, management went out of their way to tell fans (season ticket holders) that the Kings have never had a chance.  That the way they did things in the past had failed and much of that had to do with poor prior planning.

That in order to truly build a championship, we needed to change.  And that change included refocusing and starting anew.  So, the team did just that. 

They focused on the young studs who could potentially become our core.  They rebuilt the farm system and started centralizing their playing style while building a new ethic that would become the "Kings Way".  And after promising that this process would last five years before seeing a championship caliber team, they delivered a Stanley Cup.  Better yet, we have a team that looks to be perennial playoff contenders and a potential dynasty in the making.

Now, I'm sure your wondering how does this apply to the Dodgers?

Well, I'll start with a phrase I heard many moons ago while in college.

"Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance"

The above "7 P's" is a simple formula for building success.  Whether it's in your own professional life, or for your favorite team.  The Dodgers need to make a honest assessment of where they are and what they need to do to be a championship caliber team.

Have they done this, as of yet?  Are Plans in place?  Can they execute it?

In my mind, the answer is mixed. 

Certainly, the Dodgers have the financial resources to do what they want, but resources is not the same thing as having the right plan. 

But what should that plan be?

Frankly, I don't know if I have a good answer for that.  I think I've hit my own personal Peter Principle on this matter. 

I am, though open to your suggestions.

Is there a "Dodger Way" anymore.  And if not, how can we build it back to its former glory?  Is our minor league scouting and development where it should be?  Who are the core players, and who are the temporary placeholders?

I think the Dodgers refocus on scouting is obvious, but is it enough?  I fear that the recent haul of high-priced players signed to long term contracts is a potential barrier to success, and wonder who in that bunch would I really consider our core.  (And yes, I would even question whether Matt Kemp should really be in our long term future plans)  More importantly, I am starting to believe that the "Dodger Way" is no more.  And the philosophical ideals behind it need to be reworked and refashioned into something more meaningful.

But, how to do it?

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A Painted 1956 Big League Stars Figurine of Roy Campanella

Back in the mid-50's Baseball jumped in popularity.  So, it's not surprising that companies did their best to capitalize on the frenzy.  There were Baseball cards sold with gum and ballplayers were able to earn some extra dough lending their name to just about every product under the sun.  I guess you can say that Baseball really became "BIG BUSINESS" during this time.  Well, another product that was made and marketed for the masses were these little 3 inch plastic figurines of some the the Majors biggest stars.

In 1956 both Dairy Queen and a company called Big League Stars produced an 18 player set of these statues.  In fact, they both made the exact same set - likely using the same molds.  The Dairy Queen figurines were given out to customers as premiums while the Big League Stars set was packaged for retail sales.  A key distinguishing factor is that the Dairy Queen versions are white and the Big League Stars statues were painted gold.

Anyway, the other day I ran into a unique example of a Roy Campanella statue on eBay and knew I had to share it here.  See the auction listing here.  It states that it's the Dairy Queen version, but that is clearly wrong.  It is actually the Big League Stars figurine as evidenced by the gold colored base.  Nevertheless, that discrepancy isn't important.  What is important is what a creative fan did to it. 

In what I will label as folk art at its best, someone has painstakingly taken the time to paint it, and it's is wonderful.  Check the photos of it above and below. 

BTW, 4 other Dodgers are in the 18 player set; including Jim Gilliam, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese and Duke Snider.

(eBay Auction Link)

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Blog Kiosk: 5/17/2013

Check out this great photo shared by the @Dodgers on twitter of Tommy Lasorda meeting Wilt.

• Mark Saxon of ESPN speaks with AJ Ellis to ask him, "What's it like to catch Clayton Kershaw?"

Q. He’s an intense guy when he’s pitching, I guess. What are visits to the mound like?
A. He’s very to-the-point, very matter of fact, basically, “What are you doing out here? What do you want to talk about?” Basically, that’s it. There’s no room for any fluff or anything else. I rarely have to go out there. He’s so good at staying in the moment and he’s so good at calming himself down when the game gets fast. He’s really good at controlling the pace of the game. He knows when he’s got a good rhythm going, so it’s time to get going, going, going. He knows when it’s time to back off and slow down. My job when he pitches is to stay out of the way and let him do his thing. 

• Baseball Prospectus scouts Dodgers' farmhand Chris Withrow.
• Listen to the Will Leitch Experience podcast on Sports On Earth that features Jon Weisman of Dodger Thoughts talking about the dark Frank McCourt era, the spending spree that followed and whether the team's current malaise is correctable.
• Via Austin Laymance at MLB.com, "Rodriguez commanding his way to key bullpen role."

"It's such a life-changing experience and it just humbles you because from where I was last year to where I am this year, it's a whole different world," Rodriguez said this week, glancing around the clubhouse at Dodger Stadium. "I'm living my dream. I'm doing what I love to do. When you see the names going down the line on all these lockers, these guys are big-name guys, so it's awesome just to have this opportunity and be able to learn from these guys."

• Check out this awesome Scott Van Slyke graphic made by kustomdeluxe on Reddit.  See it on the right.
• Are you a Wayne Gretzky Fan?  How about a Gretzky collector?  Well, possibly the greatest collection ever amassed goes on auction today.  Read all about it at the Sports Collectors Daily.
• Via Larry Brown Sports, "Son of Biff from ‘Back to the Future’ emerging as high school pitcher."
• Via David K at The Victory Formation shows us some incredible Baseball artwork done with legos.  An incredible Derek Jeter portrait is showcased.
• Here's an awesome video featuring the Clayton Kershaw Fathead being given out on May 27th.

Video Link:

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